Hot pot is very popular no matter in hot summer or cold winter in China. It has a history over 1,000 years and until now, it is still the most popular dish for social or family gathering. People put a metal pot in the middle of a dining table, and while the water in the pot is boiling (沸腾), ingredients are put into it and cooked in the pot. They are usually thinly sliced beef, pork, chicken, lamb, leaf vegetables, tofu and seafood. Many Chinese people like eating hot pot. Liu Yang is one of them.

Liu Yang went to university in England. Three days ago, he arrived there. He had three days of hamburgers, sandwiches and potatoes. Yesterday he was very excited when he heard that there was going to be a meal of hotpot to welcome the new students.

He went into the room and sat next to an American girl. To his surprise, he saw potatoes and bread in front of him. Where was the hot pot?

When the American girl found that Liu Yang was very surprised, she made an introduction to him that hotpot is not hot pot. China has hot pot in two words but English hotpot is written in one word. Hotpot is made with meat, potatoes and onions. People put them into the oven all day in a heavy pot and over a low heat. It is easy to cook.

Hotpot tastes fine. But Liu Yang still misses hot pot, two words!

Nowadays, vegetarian food is very popular in restaurants around the world and many people are vegetarians(素食者). Are you one?

About 70% of the world’s vegetarians live in India, and about 30% of its population is vegetarians. A lot of these people are Hindus(印度教徒), so religion(宗教) is an important reason why they eat vegetarian food.

Other people eat vegetarian food to help protect the animals. We eat a lot of meat, and to make the space produce it, we need to cut down trees and plants, and that’s bad for the environment. Also, to produce one kilo of meat, an animal needs eight kilos of vegetarian food. It’s better for the environment if we don’t eat meat.

Also, some people think it is wrong to eat animals. The more meat we eat, the more animals will die. When the buying stops, the killing can stop, too. Luckily, many people prefer eating vegetarian food, they think it’s much healthier.

For all these reasons, vegetarian food has a better future. Between 3% and 7% of people in the UK are vegetarians, and 86% of its population eats vegetarian food one or two days a week. In Brazil, the number of vegetarians is between 5% and 10%. And Ghent City in Belgium is Vegetarian Capital of the world. It has a vegetarian day. Every Thursday, schools and public service offices serve vegetarian meals to children and adults of all ages.